The 5 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Decorating for Halloween

If you have to wipe fake cobwebs away to get through your front door while trying to see straight ahead of the blinding strobe light, you’ve gone too far. Halloween decorations are meant to be whimsical, but not inconvenient, impractical eyesores. Sure, the holiday is all about transforming yourself into someone else and your home into somewhere else completely, but there is a fine line between a haunted house you pay to enter and your own Halloween-themed abode. The cute carved and painted pumpkins don’t have to live among cardboard coffins and bad “boo” banners. This year, heed the caution of top interior designers Ryan Korban and Sasha Bikoff, and beware these decorating mistakes before you make them:

Don’t just stick to the classics “The biggest mistake people make when decorating for Halloween is going the traditional route—I am not a fan of orange or cobwebs. For me, it’s about taking the traditional Halloween elements and reinventing them. For example, paint your pumpkins gray or cover them in gold glitter. That’s more my speed.” – Ryan Korban

Don’t overdo it with the black “You should never use too much black. But if you’re going to, try and romanticize it a bit. I would incorporate black roses, black silk tablecloths, and black lace.” – Ryan Korban

Don’t limit yourself to orange and black “Orange and black are fine colors, but try breaking them up with some metallic. For instance, you can paint fake skulls gold or silver. You can also try an antique effect on your decorations or do a complete white out on them à la Margiela. And why not try some artful polka-dot, Kusama-inspired pumpkins too?” – Sasha Bikoff

Don’t use colored light bulbs “I think the right use of votives, lights, and candles can make for a very intimate yet playful setting at home during Halloween. Try filling an entire table with candles at different heights to create an almost gothic, cathedral-like setting.”–Sasha Bikoff